


The Travelling Man

by newspapertaxis



Category: Doctor Who, Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Crossover, Gen, No Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-19 08:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newspapertaxis/pseuds/newspapertaxis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a blue box and a funny man crash into Phineas and Ferb's backyard, they have no trouble finding out what they're going to do today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Travelling Man

The sun shone over Danville on the morning of yet another glorious summer day. In a suburban backyard, two young boys, one short and red-haired and the other tall and green-haired, reclined under a lone oak tree.

“You know what I think, Ferb?” asked the red-haired boy. “Some of the best adventures we’ve had were in space. Like remember when Dad bought us a star? Or when that alien Meep helped us defeat the evil poacher? Space is so cool. And there’s still so much we haven’t done up there!”

Being a man of few words, Ferb merely nodded and stroked the silky skin of their pet platypus, Perry.

The gate burst open, and a dark-haired girl clad in a pink and white dress stepped into the yard. She addressed the red-haired boy.

“Hey Phineas! Whatcha doin’?”

“Hey, Isabella. We’re just thinking about space.”

“No you’re _not_!” A teenage girl with hair the color of a traffic cone stomped across the yard to where the children stood. “I’m in charge while Mom’s gone, and I say no to any more space adventures!”

“Okay Candace,” said Phineas.

“I’m watching you!” Candace added before flipping open her cell phone and retreating back inside the house.

Moments after she’d left, a strange whirring sound filled the air.

“Did you hear that?” asked Phineas.

“Hear what?” said Isabella.

“There’s noise! Coming from over there!” Phineas jumped up and ran to the end of the yard; Ferb and Isabella following close behind.

“I hear it now!” Isabella shouted. “It’s getting louder and louder!”

The air began to shift, newborn breezes swirling around the yard. Isabella scooped Perry up in her arms, more for her comfort than his safety. An unidentified object began to slowly materialize before the children as the noise increased. Then, the ruckus stopped as suddenly as it had begun. A blue police box stood before them.

“Hey, this looks like one of those old things Dad has down at the antique shop!” Phineas remarked.

Isabella wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic. “But why is it here?” she shrieked. “It just came out of nowhere!”

The box’s door opened a crack.

With a gasp, Isabella pulled the boys back. “Guys! What if it’s a bad alien?”

Before anyone could answer, the door swung open and out stepped a funny-looking man. He wore a red bowtie that clashed with the suspenders under his jacket. His short plaid pants looked more suited for an senior residence than a summer day. He stared at the children, his eyebrow-less forehead wrinkling.

Too afraid to say a word, the children watched as the man looked around and up at the sky. He seemed as confused as the rest of them. Still puzzled, he bent down and put his ear to the ground.

“What is he doing?” Isabella whispered. Ferb shushed her with a finger to his lips.

The man stood up. “Well, for once, I haven’t the slightest idea where I am.” His voice held a thick accent, like someone from the town in England where Phineas and Ferb’s grandparents lived. He turned and stroked the box. “Where have you taken me this time, old girl?” At that moment, he seemed to remember the children’s presence.

“Now,” he said to them, “would you fellows happen to be able to tell me where the blazes I am?”

“Ferb,” said Phineas, “I know what we’re gonna do today.” He turned to the strange man. “Hello! You’re in Danville.”

“Danville? Where’s that?”

“In the Tri-State Area.”

The man walked over to the tree and knocked on its trunk, as if expecting anything other than a dull thud.

Overcome with curiosity, Isabella took a cautious step away from the boys. “Who are you?”

“Oh right. I’m the Doctor.”

“That’s your name?”

“Well, it’s what they call me. I’m a Time Lord.”

“Oh.” She’d never heard of such a name, but decided to accept it. “I’m called Isabella.”

“Isabella! Lovely name.”

Isabella cracked a smile as the Doctor slumped against the tree. He still looked confused, almost disappointed. Phineas took a seat next to him.

“What’s wrong, Doctor?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong. The TARDIS never takes me anywhere without a reason. It’s just…strange. You’re strange. All of this is strange! I’ve been all around the universe, but never such a place as this.”

“It’s not so bad.” Phineas felt defensive of his hometown. “I think Danville’s the greatest place in the world.”

“Interesting,” the Doctor replied thoughtfully. He proceeded to pull a device the size of a large pen out of his jacket and shined a light at the end right in Phineas’ face.

“Woah!” Startled, Phineas jumped to his feet. “What was that?”

“Just my sonic screwdriver.” He placed it back inside his jacket. “I was checking to see if you were human.”

“You’re not human?” Phineas’ eyes grew wide.

“But you look human!” Isabella pointed out.

“You look alien,” said the Doctor.

“What are you guys up to now?”

The rough voice belonged to a stocky boy at the gate of the yard. He went up to the children and the Doctor, leading a smaller boy with a leash attached to his pants.

“Hi Buford,” said Phineas. “Baljeet, why are you on a leash?”

“He’s my pet nerd,” Buford said.

“Remarkable,” the Doctor piped in.

“And who is he?” Baljeet asked. He didn’t seem to mind his new status as a pet.

“He’s the Doctor,” Phineas explained. “He landed his spaceship right here in the yard!”

Baljeet turned to the Doctor. “What are you a doctor of?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I’m just the Doctor.”

“Ah, well,” said Buford. “I’m taking my nerd for a walk.” With that, he and Baljeet strolled out of the yard as Isabella gave a brief wave.

The Doctor snapped his fingers as his attention switched. Pointing to Phineas, he asked, “And what was your name, my boy?”

“Phineas.”

“Well, Phineas,” The Doctor stood up, then crouched to be at eye level with the boy. “How did you know that was a spaceship?” His voice was low, almost a whisper.

“I’ve seen lots before,” Phineas said. “We built one this summer!”

Surprise came over the Doctor’s face. “Really?”

“Well, it was more of a rocket.” Phineas motioned to Ferb, who handed him a couple of photographs. “Look! That’s us on our Shooting Star Milkshake Bar.”

“Boys in space!” The Doctor grinned, his physique going from questioning to excited. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”

Phineas chuckled at the Doctor’s childish behavior. “Thanks, I guess.”

“But how is this a spaceship?” Isabella pointed to the blue box. “It doesn’t look like one.”

“It could be disguised,” Phineas offered.

“It’s so tiny. It must be cramped inside.”

“Hey, Doctor?” Phineas called. “Can we go inside your spaceship?”

The Doctor thought over it for a moment, but went for the positive response.

“Oh, why not? It’s not everyday I meet children who’ve already traveled the stars.”

The children hurrahed at the prospect of novelty. They gathered at the door of the box, but none felt brave enough to open it without the Doctor’s consent. The Doctor noticed this, and scooted around the children to swing open the door.

“Come along, Phineas!” He laughed and ducked inside.

“Let’s go, guys!” Phineas shouted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Candace was back in the yard.

“Phineas and Ferb!” she snapped. “What are you up to?”

“We’re going inside this spaceship!”

Candace eyed the box with skepticism. “Oh, alright. Go have fun in your little “spaceship”. Just don’t get into any trouble!”

“We won’t!” Phineas called after her.

“Hey,” Isabella interrupted, “Where’s Perry?”

 

The platypus slid into his chair as the screen above him flickered to life.

“Good morning, Agent P,” said the gruff voice of Major Monogram, head of the top-secret organization Agent P worked for. “Dr. Doofenschmirtz has been seen hauling exceedingly large shipments into his apartment. We don’t know what’s going on, but it’s got to be evil!”

“He might have just bought new furniture!” squeaked a scrawny-looking teenage boy in the background.

“Quiet, Carl!” Major Monogram turned back to Agent P. “It’s up to you to stop Doofenschmirtz!”

The screen zipped back to black as Agent P strapped on his jetpack. Opening a hatch on the wall, he flew out of the base he’d worked so hard to keep a secret from his family. He flew away from the suburbs and into the busy hub of downtown Danville. Within minutes, he reached the misshapen purple tower marring the Danville skyline like a crooked tooth: Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated.

Agent P tossed off the jetpack and rolled into a window on the top floor only to be caught in a peculiar whisk-shaped cage.

“PERRY THE PLATYPUS!” Dr. Doofenschmirtz screeched in his vague European accent. “It seems I’ve _whisked_ you off your feet!” He let out a wheezy laugh at his own bad pun. “Ah, that’s a good one. But now, it’s time for you to meet my latest inventions!”

As if summoned, dozens upon dozens of robots appeared from every door and outlet, crowding behind Doofenschmirtz. The round heads of the robots sported one single eye; the rest of their bodies were covered in raised metal bumps. Two prongs protruded between their heads and bodies, the end of one resembling a kitchen whisk.

“BEHOLD!” Doofenschmirtz spread out his arms, presenting the swarm. “MY EXTERMINATOR-INATORS!”

Agent P gulped.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why did I take the time to build so many of these?” Doofenschmirtz kneeled down next to the whisk cage. “Well, I didn’t make them at all! You see, just a few days ago, I was in the furniture store, looking for a nice decorative statue.”

This called for an eyeroll from Agent P.

“Whaaat?” Doofenschmirtz took the defensive. “I wanted to spice up the lair! Evil scientists have style too, you know!” He then resumed his storytelling voice.

“ _Anyway_ , I came across the perfect statue. It was a life-sized robot! I wanted to buy it, but the store said it WASN’T IN THE CATALOG? I took it home anyway. But then, when I brought it up to my lair, IT SPOKE! Kept asking for some doctor person or something. And then, it said “exterminate” and disintegrated my latest inator! Now, that wasn’t a good start to our relationship, so I struck up a deal with the robot. I will help my exterminator-inator and his many, many friends find the doctor they seek. But first, they will assist me in TAKING OVER THE TRI-STATE AREA!!!”

 

The inside of the Doctor’s ship was just as puzzling as its exterior.

The platform the children stood on led to a huge control center cluttered with all manner of knobs and switches. A side staircase went to a lower level, where Phineas could see the outline of doors. The walls glowed with a blue light that failed to show its source. It was far more complex than anything Phineas and Ferb had ever built.

“Woah,” Phineas muttered in awe.

“It’s so much bigger on the inside,” Isabella piped up. “Like that control center you built when you went to your star.”

The Doctor spun around to face Phineas, as if expecting an explanation.

“Ferb’s good at tinkering with the space-time continuum,” Phineas said.

“Fascinating!” The Doctor hopped up to the control center. “The TARDIS is good at spacey-wacey stuff too.”

“What’s the TARDIS?” asked Isabella.

“Why, my dear girl, you’re in it! This is the TARDIS! Time And Relative Dimension In Space!”

It was Isabella’s turn to be awed. “Ooooh.”

Phineas went up to the control center, looking but not touching. “So, it can travel through time?”

“It certainly can.”

“Cool! Ferb and I built a time machine once. We saw dinosaurs!”

“Dinosaurs.” The Doctor began to mutter more to himself than to the children. “I’d love to see dinosaurs.”

“Then why don’t you?” Isabella’s curious ears had caught his muttering.

“Well, I could certainly try, but that’s not always how it works. The TARDIS doesn’t always take you where you want to go. All I can do is put the gears in shift and hope for the best!”

Phineas opened his mouth for another question just as an array of flashing lights and sounds spread over the control center. The Doctor worked frantically, running around pushing buttons and maneuvering sticks only he could understand.

“What’s going on?” Isabella asked, teetering on panic.

“Incoming signal!”

“What kind of signal?” Phineas shouted over the ruckus. The TARDIS began to shake and produce the same noises Phineas and Ferb had heard when they first saw it.

“Hold on, guys!” Isabella clutched a rail on the side of the platform, but the shaking ceased as suddenly as it had begun. The Doctor heaved a sigh of relief and creaked open the TARDIS door.

“We’re at the source of the signal,” he said.

“Which is where?” asked Isabella, still put off from the shaking.

The Doctor swung open the door to reveal the sinister Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated looming above them. Without any warning or cause, he went very pale and staggered back.

“It’s them. But it can’t be,” he muttered, shaking his head in denial. “How could they have found their way here?”

“How could _who_ be here?” asked Isabella.

“Yeah,” said Phineas. “What’s going on?”

There was a long pause before the Doctor finally spoke, his voice quiet and grave.

“Daleks.”

Silence again. After a few moments, Isabella voiced what all three children were wondering.

“What’s a Dalek?”

“They’re the enemies of my people,” the Doctor explained, retaining the energy of a funeral party. “Long ago, we fought a great war with them. And they…..they don’t have feelings or emotions like you and me. All they desire is to kill.”

The monsters he described were nothing like anything Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella had ever encountered in any of their adventures.

“What are we going to do?” Isabella whispered.

“I have to go up there. Stop them before they can cause any more damage than they already have.” It was almost fascinating how the Doctor, so childish and peppy, could also be this: a dead-serious man of action and determination. “Shut the door, Isabella. We’re going to get the TARDIS inside. We’re going to get it to the Daleks.”

Isabella closed the door. “I’m scared,” she whispered to Phineas.

“Me too,” he admitted. “The best thing to do is listen to the Doctor.”

Back at the control center, the Doctor fooled around until the TARDIS was moving again—though not as violently as before. It was silent again in seconds.

“We’ve landed. I turned on the invisible shield, so they won’t be able to see that the TARDIS is here,” said the Doctor. “Children! Gather ‘round. I’ve something very important to tell you.”

The children crowded around the Doctor, who’d sat on a ledge as not to tower over them.

“Now,” he began, “the Daleks are, as I said, very dangerous. They’re positively lethal. It wouldn’t be right to bring children into their midst. So I’m going out there on my own.”

“Most understandable,” said Ferb.

The Doctor chuckled and shook his head. “Why, I didn’t know that one could talk!”

“He doesn’t do it very often,” Phineas added.

“Back on topic,” said the Doctor. “Phineas, Isabella, Ferb, I’m counting on all of you to take care of the TARDIS while I’m out there. Can you do this for me?”

“We sure can, Doctor!” Ferb and Isabella nodded in agreement.

The Doctor smiled and laid a hand on Phineas’ shoulder. “That’s what I love to hear.” He stood up and headed for the door.

“No running off!” he called out before disappearing out of the TARDIS.

 

There must have been at least one hundred Daleks packed into the loft room. Despite the Doctor presence, they were all focused on a deranged man in a white lab coat and a fedora-wearing platypus trapped inside a giant whisk. The Doctor crept along the wall to get a closer look at the situation.

“Don’t give me that look, Perry the Platypus!” The man scowled at the platypus. “I am going to find this doctor. I just need to learn where he is, that’s all.”

The Doctor stepped out into plain view. “Search no more.”

The lab coat man turned to the Doctor. “And just who are you?”

“I’m the Doctor.”

As if jolted by an electric current, the Daleks turned to the Doctor in unison.

“DOC-TAH?” shrieked the creature closest to the human and the Time Lord. Its body swerved and rolled to Doofenschmirtz. “YOU HAVE KEPT YOUR PART OF THE DEAL, DOC-TAH DOO-FAN-SCHMARTZ! NOW, WE WILL KEEP OURS!”

“A deal?” The Doctor shot the question at Doofenschmirtz.

“Why, yes. Now that we’ve got you, my exterminator-inators will help me TAKE OVER THE TRI-STATE AREA!”

The Doctor went and stood so close to Doofenschmirtz, their foreheads were almost touching. Quiet rage surged through the Doctor’s face as he spoke.

“Oh, you foolish, foolish man.”

Doofenschmirtz took a step back. “Foolish?”

“Foolish.” The Doctor raised his voice. “Your twisted dreams of wretched domination have blinded you. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“Yes!” Doofenschmirtz put his hands on his hips. “I made a deal with my exterminator-inators. I know EXACTLY what I’m doing.”

“Stop! Those are Daleks. Cold, ruthless Daleks. What makes you think they’ll remain true to their word? Daleks don’t keep promises. Daleks have no concept of honor.”

“E-NOUGH TALK!” The same Dalek who’d spoken earlier came forward just as a flying blur knocked Doofenschmirtz to the ground.

“Perry the Platypus! You escaped?” Doofenschmirtz groaned. “I knew I should’ve put an extra lock on that whisk!”

It seemed that this world was full of extraordinary animals as well as extraordinary children.

The platypus pulled at the edge of the Doctor’s jacket and led him off behind a purple refrigerator which held no apparent function.

“Woah, woah.” The Doctor looked down at the little creature. “So, Perry! What’s up?”

Perry pointed to the mass of Daleks huddled just a few meters away.

“Yes. We’ve got to do something about that lot.” He leaned against the wall and sighed. “Any ideas?”

Perry motioned to the Daleks again and imitated an explosion with his paws.

“How are we going to get one big enough? And discreet enough. Daleks are more clever than they look.”

The platypus felt along the floor until he opened a compartment. Within it was a large red button reading TOP FLOOR SELF-DESTRUCT.

“Perry the Platypus, you are a GENIUS!” said the Doctor. “Though, I wonder why he’d make a button like that in the first place.”

Perry rolled his eyes.

“Have you got a way out of here?” Perry bobbed his head and the Doctor continued. “Good. I’ve got one too. Now, do you think there’ll be some sort of countdown before it, you know, goes ka-boom?”

Perry nodded.

“I’ll do the honors, then.” The words stabbed and left a pang of irony that only the Doctor felt. He was never one to take pleasure in the destruction of lives, even if they were Dalek lives.

But it had to be done. He gritted his teeth and pushed the button. It lit up and a fifteen-second countdown appeared on the button’s glowing interface. Perry and the Doctor jumped out from behind the fridge just as the PA announced “self-destruct in fifteen seconds”.

“Hey, how did you find that button?” Doofenschmirtz screeched.

The Doctor located the TARDIS, ran to the controls without a word to the children, and flew the TARDIS out of the building before the massive explosion wiped out every single Dalek.

Not too far off, Perry was getting away by jetpack, while Doofenschmirtz clung onto his foot for dear life.

“You and that bow-tie dude destroyed my exterminator-inators!” he screamed. “CURSE YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS!!!”

 

Immediate danger gone, the Doctor slumped against the control center, while Phineas and Ferb crept up to him.

“Doctor, you’re back!” Phineas greeted. “Did you defeat the Daleks?”

The Doctor nodded solemnly, not making eye contact.

“Hey, What’s wrong?” Phineas sat down next to him.

“Oh, nothing. Just that it gets to me every time.”

“What does?”

“Seeing them die.”

“Even though they’re evil?” asked Ferb.

The Doctor nodded. “They’re still living things, after all.”

Phineas didn’t know what to say, so he hugged the Doctor instead. Ferb joined in, and the Doctor wrapped his arms around the both of them.

“Thank you, boys,” he whispered. After a good long moment, he got up and turned to the controls. “Well, I’m sorry to put you all through that.”

“We don’t mind,” said Isabella. “We took good care of the TARDIS.”

“You sure did.” The Doctor sighed. “I may not be where I intended to go, but I ended up where I needed to be. Now, how about some stars to make up for all this rubbish?”

The TARDIS began its shaking and blinking again, but it was routine to the children by now. A few minutes later, the Doctor told them to look outside the doors.

“Oh my gosh,” Isabella whispered.

Phineas was too shocked to say anything.

They were in space. The deep blue backdrop stretched out to infinity, going farther than even the Doctor had gone. The TARDIS was floating right above a galaxy flooding with staccato bursts of translucent pinks and oranges, stars embedded in the weaving strands of space dust that went on and on through the beautiful chaos. Farther off in the distance, a cluster of larger bodies kept each other company in the overladen emptiness.

“Are those planets?” Isabella asked.

The Doctor nodded.

“How come we can breathe?” said Phineas.

“The TARDIS has a protective oxygen bubble around it,” the Doctor explained.

The children couldn’t bear to look away from the booming picture before their eyes. But after a length, the Doctor shut the door and they bid goodbye to the technicolor paradise.

“I’d better get you children home. Wouldn’t want any worried mums on top of all that’s happened today.”

 

The TARDIS landed safe and sound back in Phineas and Ferb’s yard. The children stepped out of the wondrous blue box for the last time.

“That was quite the adventure,” said Isabella.

“It sure was,” agreed Phineas. “Oh, there you are Perry.”

The animal at Phineas’ feet wore no fedora and stood on all fours, but it was unmistakably the same Perry who’d helped the Doctor defeat Doofenschmirtz and the Daleks.

“Perry?” repeated the Doctor as more of a statement than a question.

“He’s our platypus,” Phineas said. “He doesn’t do much.”

A wink from Perry greatly contradicted what Phineas had just said.

“So what are gonna do now, Doctor?” asked Phineas.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll hop back into my box and go wherever she takes me.”

“Aww, but you’ve gotta stay!” Phineas gazed at the Doctor with pleading eyes.

“Yeah!” said Isabella. “Just for a little longer!”

“I don’t know if I can.”

A woman with Phineas’ hair poked her head into the yard from behind a sliding glass door on the house.

“Come get some pie, kids!”

Phineas looked back at the Doctor.

“Oh, alright.” The Doctor sighed. “I suppose I’ve always got time for pie.”

The children cheered and led the Doctor into the house.


End file.
